Match Report

Stenhousemuir travelled up to Brechin with confidence growing after back-to-back wins but it was always going to be a difficult game against promotion seeking City who were last beaten on their own patch in September and indeed not at home to the Warriors since 1999.

There were two changes to the Stenhousemuir starting eleven with Scott Fusco replacing the injured Scott Gibb and Grant Anderson returning after injury for Andy Stirling. The Brechin pitch has taken a battering this season with the weather and despite the sterling efforts of the groundsman it was always going to cut up and large divots took chunks out of it as the game progressed. This was a hindrance to the passing game of both teams but it was as bad to prevent it altogether and was far better than a number of SPL pitches where there appears to be more earth than grass.

Stenhousemuir started the game kicking down the slope and they took the lead in the 8th minute of the game. Not for the first time in recent weeks it was a Sean Dickson corner that caused problems and Scott Dalziel who capitalised by flicking a shot past Craig Nelson though the keeper managed to get a hand to it.

Grant Anderson then followed this up with a header that went just the wrong end of the post with Nelson struggling to get across. Brechin were taking their time to get into the game but there was a potent for things to come in the 14th minute when a Neil Janczyk free kick from 20 yards out went past the post, it would have been a controversial goal if it had went in though as the ball had clearly, and not just marginally, went out of play in the build up to the free kick being awarded. Stenhousemuir were determined to make the most of the home teams sluggishness and Dalziel had another effort on goal bring out a diving save by Nelson. In a mirror image of the game against Ayr it was the opposition that gradually got into the game and David McKenna had an effort wide in the 23rd minute and then he combined with Jamie Redman to set up another chance but on this occasion Jordan Smith was alert enough to snuff out the danger. Grant Anderson then tested Nelson again with a powerful drive but it was the home side that were celebrating in the 42nd minute when Rory McAllister was beat Smith at the back post and drilled a shot through Ally Brown’s legs and into the net.

The second half started with Nelson scrambling to clear an Eric Paton corner but this was to be a rare effort by Stenhousemuir in the second half. Brown was able to make a good save from Kevin Byers in the 51th minute but the tide had began to turn and although he denied McKenna with a save by use of his legs a couple of minutes later he was helpless when the resultant corner was headed home by Redman who took full advantage of his run not being picked up and was able to pick his spot. Byers and McKenna once again exposed frailties in the heart of the Stenhousemuir defence in the 61st minute but Brown saved the day once again for the Warriors. Any chance of a comeback were ended in the 81st minute when Janczyk struck with a direct free kick that curled into the net to put the home side 3-1 ahead. The Warriors struggled badly in the closing stages and Brechin could have added to their tally but Stenhousemuir’s Iain Thomson was to be denied a consolation goal in the last minute when his header was cleared by a superb save by Nelson.

Nevertheless it was the home side that over the 90 minutes proved to be worthy winner and it took a time goal by Forfar in their game at Peterhead that stopped